Rush
by xXWhiteFlashXx
Summary: With the New Dawn on the horizon, everyone's doing some growing up. But all it all stops when Serah is kidnapped and Lightning once again springs into action, putting them all in danger. Light/Hope
1. Chapter 1

Hope sat in the backseat of his father's car as they coasted down the road. He was leaving New Bodhum, his father found had found him a few days ago, and now he had to leave. He hated his father for it; he was leaving the people who had made him who he was... Snow, Sazh, Serah, Fang and Vanille even though they were in crystal stasis, and most of all, Lightning.

As the car was passing the reinstated Guardian Corps Headquarters of New Bodhum, he spoke up, "Dad! Stop the car! I need to do one last thing before we leave!"

His father pulled into the parking lot of the GC and turned around, "What is it, Hope?" His voice was soaked in irritation.

"I-I need to say goodbye to one more person. She's in the Guardian Corps."

He sighed, "Fine, but hurry."

Hope smiled, "Thanks!"

* * *

><p>He hopped out of the car and darted for the intimidating fortress.<p>

The guards were flowing in and out of the entrance and he struggled to keep up with the crowd. No wonder Lightning had always had such a swift stride.

He turned from side to side, "Excuse me, have you seen a Lightning Farron?" No one seemed to even notice him in the large crowd.

It was then he heard a familiar voice, "It's fine, Olias, just, be more careful. Don't pull out your weapon in the middle of the HQ like that."

Then he heard a door shut.

When everyone from Cocoon had come to Gran Pulse, the GC practically begged her to come back, and she was reinstated as a Sergeant, but soon, she was promoted to Captain to deal with the new recruits and the most dangerous missions.

He walked up to the door that read "Captain Farron" and slowly opened the door. There he saw his pink-haired mentor concentrating on paperwork and was obviously stressed to her limit.

She looked up, and a smile creeped over her face.

"Hope, what are you doing here?" She stood up, walking over to him.

"I-uh-we were driving by and I wanted to say goodbye one last time."

She laughed, "Of course you did."

"Lightning-I... wanted to say thank you for all that you've done for me. And don't say it was just because I was there and it was accidental, I know it wasn't. And I'm really really going to miss you."

Lightning smiled, and her face turned the lightest shade of pink.

"That's nice of you to say... really, I appreciated it. I'll miss you too. And I must say how much you've grown up in the time I've known you. You went from a whiny baby to a fine young man. Any girl would be lucky to have you."

Lightning reached behind her neck, unclasping her necklace.

"Look, I want you to have this Hope."

The metal was warm from where it had lied on her chest and Hope stared at it in his hand.

"Light, I can't take you necklace, you never take it off."

She laughed, "It's about time I did. My parents gave it to me on my thirteenth birthday when they told me that I had become an adult, a woman. And, I think it's appropriate I give it to you."

He narrowed his eyes, "I haven't become a woman, have I?"

Lightning burst out with laughter, "I surely hope not. No, I can say honestly you've changed in my eyes and the world's. When we first were in Lake Bresha I thought you were so annoying and whiny, but in those few months, you really grew up and learned to handle a lot of responsibility."

"T-Thank you, Claire."

She shook her head laughing, "Don't call me that, Claire's been gone for quite some time now."

She took the necklace from his hands, and wrapped it around his neck, clasping it.

She walked back around, "There you go perfect."

The pair were silent for a moment.

"Look, your dad's probably waiting on you, you should go. Plus I have so much paperwork to do."

"Yeah, I-uh, bye."

She smiled, and then leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

"Yeah, bye. I'll see you later my whiny little solider."

* * *

><p>Five years after the fall of Cocoon, things on Gran Pulse were calm. Snow and Serah lived together in Bodhum along with Lightning. After the fall of Cocoon, the government decided to recreate the towns of Cocoon to make the citizens more comfortable, that meant dropping the 'new' in front of Bodhum. After two years, Fang and Vanille had come out of crystal stasis and were reunited with the rest of the group. They lived just out of town in the wild; they could never be accustomed to the life in a city. Sazh worked as a pilot and came to visit every now and again.<p>

But Hope had moved to the other side of the settled Gran Pulse. Lightning had been the last one of the group to see him since he left, and even then he was still just a kid that day he had come to the Headquarters.

Lightning sat in her living room when her crazed pregnant sister called her.

She picked up the phone, "Hello."

"Lightning! Happy Birthday!"

She let out a soft laugh, "Thank you, Serah."

"So, what are you doing tonight? Maybe got some hot date."

"Serah! No, for your information, I don't. I'm sitting in my living room trying to enjoy my book."

"A book? You're turning twenty-six, and you're reading?"

Lighting sighed, "Yes, Serah, I am."

"Look, put that collection of dusty pages away and come over! There is no way I am letting my older sister sit at home on her birthday!"

"Really, Serah, it's fin-"

"NOW."

Lightning shook, "Fine, fine, I'll be there in like ten minutes."

"And don't you dare come in you're Guardian Corps uniform."

"Goodbye, Serah."

Lightning hung up the phone, now she had to spend her birthday with her sister, and the not so likable Snow Villers.

* * *

><p>Lightning rang the doorbell and Snow opened the door.<p>

He laughed, "You came. Good thinking, Serah was going to walk to your house and drag you by your feet if you didn't."

Lightning just shook her head, "Sounds like her."

She walked in, and her sister immediately hugged her. She was just beginning to show in her pregnancy, but to Snow and Lightning, she might as well be eight months pregnant.

"Wow Lightning, you have really learned to dress yourself."

She wore black off the shoulder shirt, a pair of dark tight jeans, and a pair of converse sneakers she had pulled out of the back of her closet as all the other ones had been covered in dirt. So in reality, she had really only put on the acceptable clothing she owned and Serah believed she had picked it all out by hand.

Snow laughed, "She's right. You look much more like a girl than you do in that uniform; you look like a prison guard."

His answer to his comment was a fist slamming into his shoulder. He just laughed, but truthfully, it had hurt.

"Don't push your luck, Villers. I let you have my sister, right? Don't make me regret that choice."

The three were sitting together in the kitchen when the doorbell rang.

Lightning raised an eyebrow, "Who's that Serah?"

She giggled (that was never good), "I just invited a few people. Hope you don't mind."

As she left the room, Lightning bit her remark to her, "You know very well that I care!"

* * *

><p>As it turned out, she hadn't cared. Serah had only invited Vanille, Fang, and Sazh because she was scared to invite anyone else in fear that Lighting would actually kill her.<p>

The six sat around the table, celebrating Lightning's birthday.

They even humiliated her by making her wear a hat and blow out her candles, something she hadn't done since her parents had died.

As Serah brought out the cut pieces of cake, Lightning began to talk to Sazh.

"So, Sazh, where have you been lately on your plane flights?"

He looked at the wall in thought, "Well I went over to Eden for a bit, and then Nautilus and actually I just got in from Paumpolum this morning."

The ache in Lightning's heart increased. Hope had moved to Palumpolum when he left, and it was so far away that she never had the time to go there to see him. She never spoke of Hope as she couldn't bring herself to think of him. She wondered what he looked like, sounded like, had he changed? Or was he the same old Hope? She always thought about this before she went to sleep, but when her rare free time came and she went to buy a ticket to Palumpolum, her body stiffened and she couldn't will herself to go. It scared her. If he had changed, she didn't want to think of him in a different light.

She wanted to ask Sazh about Hope, because Sazh might have gone to see him, but she held herself back.

* * *

><p>Lightning yawned as she came into her office the next morning. She and Snow had had a bit too much to drink and fought in the Viller's back yard, much to Serah's distaste.<p>

She sat down at her desk, and just as she did, her communicator buzzed. She sighed, back to work.

She picked up the small radio device, speaking to the other line.

"Captain Farron, speaking."

"Yes, Farron, I need you to come up to my office, I have a mission I need to speak with you about."

* * *

><p>She strode quickly to Colonel Armodar's office. She opened the door to find the jolly man who had made her what she was today sitting at his desk.<p>

"Hi, there Light. Sorry for the formalities on the radio, you know how ticked off Johnson gets."

She laughed, "It's fine, really. So what's the mission?"

"Well it's actually not for you, but I can't decide which men to send on this mission."

"Well what is it?"

"A missing officer over in Palumpolum."

"Really? What rank?"

"He is a... wow, a private. Those idiots over there send a private on a Gran Pulse mission. The idiots!"

"A private? Are you serious? That's outrageous! Whose the kid anyways?"

"Erm... A Mr. Hope Bartholomew Esthiem."

As Lightning sipped her coffee, it went all over her uniform.

"H-Hope?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Lightning! What's the matter? You know the kid?" Amodar handed her a towel.

"Thanks, and uh, yeah. Back in the day of saving Cocoon and such, he was with us when Cocoon was crystallized. He was only fourteen then."

Amodar nodded, "So, were you close to him?"

"He kind of considered me his mentor, but I never wanted him to go into the Army, I figured something like this would happen, and now it has."

"I-can't give such a low ranked mission to a Captain. But, please, Light take the day off. I can handle it. You need it, I can tell."

Lightning sat in her pajamas on her bed. She held onto her pillow and leaned against her backboard because she was afraid she couldn't even support herself.

She couldn't help but blame herself for what had happened to Hope. She was the one to train him and give him that knife all those years ago.

* * *

><p>She heard the doorbell ring, but she couldn't bear to get up and talk to whoever was at the door. It rang again, and she heard the door open.<p>

She knew instantly it was Serah. The door was locked, and Serah was the only other one with a key.

She walked in the door smiling, "Hey Light, I saw you were home, thought I'd come say hey."

"Hey..." Lightning let out weakly.

"What's the matter? You're acting weird."

"I'm fine."

"No, you are not. This is not my sister, what is the matter?"

"I can't tell you, it's military business."

Serah enraged jumped onto her bed, "You tell me RIGHT now!"

"Fine, fine... it has to do with Hope."

Serah leaned back, "H-hope...?"

For years he had been a forbidden topic with Lightning, and now she was talking about him.

"Yes... he joined the GC."

"Well, that's not too bad; he's just following in your footsteps."

"No... they sent him out on a Gran Pulse mission, and now he's missing."

"Oh no... how long now?"

"It's been about five days."

"Are you getting deployed for this?"

"No, they can't give such a small ranked mission to a Captain."

"That's insane!"

"It's not anything I can do..."

Serah crawled up beside her sister and hugged her.

* * *

><p>Lightning walked down to Amodar's office to demand she be put on the job. When she came in Amodar smiled, "Lightning Farron, just the girl I wanted to see."<p>

"Colnel, I respectfully demand I be put on this missing officer mission in Palumpolum. I survived through Gran Pulse without any technology and I think I'm best suited for it."

"That's what I wanted to talk about. You are allowed to be put on this mission as it turns out, but as a training mission. You'll be taking a group of three privates into Gran Pulse with you."

Lightning let out a sigh of relief, it was not her ideal mission, but it'd have to do.

* * *

><p>Lightning said goodbye to everyone as she stepped on the plane to the base just outside of the civilization of the 'New' Cocoon as people called it.<p>

When it landed, she met with her privates: Olias from Bodhum, Lucien also from Bodhum, and Cid who was from Palumpolum.

The next few days she spent preparing and telling the boys what to expect, but they took it all as a joke.

When the day of truth finally came, the foursome was dropped off deep in the Gran Pulse plains where Hope had been deployed.

The boys were laughing and horseplaying and within the first fifteen minutes she had had it.

"The three of you, shut up! You know what, stay here at this oasis, because you are not fit to handle Gran Pulse. Call the base and tell them to come to your coordinates. This boy I'm looking for is important, not only to the Army but to me, and I can't have you three slowing me down."

She began to walk away. The troublemaker Olias spoke up.

"Oh come on, we'll be fine Light!"

She turned around, grabbing his collar, "Olias Randall Barthith, you and your friends are to stay here and do as I said. And don't you even call me Light again. I am Captain Farron to you. One more strike and I'll have you banned from this Army you here me?"

The boy was shaking, "Yes, yes, I hear you."

"You better have."

* * *

><p>Lightning lied in the tall grass when night came. She had spent her last few hours scoring the land for any sign of him, she came up with nothing. She decided to take a few hours of rest and when she woke she would continue her search.<p>

It was then she turned her head and saw a small fragment of cloth. She quickly got to her feet and grabbed it. It was part of a private's GC issued uniform. It had to be his.

She pulled out her device that separated the DNA of any human to help in location. She scanned it over the shirt and it recognized a trace of matching DNA leading into the forest.

She ran for hours on end, she wanted to be there before it was too late and he ran out of supplies.

She came to a familiar area that she encountered on her trip to Oerba that seemed so long ago. She heard the rushing of water that the group used as a source and she thought that maybe Hope had remembered it and gone there.

She quickly made her way through the thick brush and came to the clearing where a waterfall cascaded into a pond. The waterfall was not all that high and could be reached by the access of a rock formation almost like stairs.

Her eyes grazed over the rock where a pair of ripped and tattered uniform shorts sat along with a sword, boots and other equipment. Then they grazed over to the water where a man sat in the water. He was looking down at the water, not noticing her. He had white silver hair that flowed over his face and a slight beard picking up over his cheeks and chin. The water only reached to his waist, and she saw his well defined muscles from the rigid training program of the GC as well as Gran Pulse itself.

At first, she could not register who this man was, but then it clicked that that man was the boy she said goodbye to five years ago.


	3. Chapter 3

He looked, up, his expression dropping.

She suddenly felt embarrassed and her face turned bright red as she turned around, "I'm sorry-I didn't mean to-"

She heard the sloshing of the water and soggy footsteps coming towards her.

She turned around to see him damp in his tattered shorts.

He stared at her, leaning down as he was six foot one.

"L-Lightning? Is that you?"

His voice shocked her, it was much deeper than she had remembered.

"Uh, yeah. It is Hope."

She immediately felt his strong arms hug her, "Light! I can't believe it's you!"

Her face still was burning as she hugged him.

* * *

><p>Hope had started a campfire in his small place where he stayed between to very large rocks that were too small to be called mountains. It was an enclosed area except for a small opening in the door to leave.<p>

Lightning stared at the silver necklace that was once hers that now lied on Hope's chest.

"So, you still have it?"

Hope looked lost for a moment, then put it together, "Yeah, I haven't taken it off since you gave it to me." He smiled, and silence filled the air.

"You know, I was able to survive out here after my supplies ran out because I learned from you."

"Really? You remembered all that stuff?"

He smiled, "Of course I did, Light, you were what made me want to go into the army!"

She sighed, "I don't know if that was such a good thing. But Hope, you're a man now; you don't have to keep calling me Lightning like your some kind of child. You can call me Claire now."

He smiled again, "If you want me to Claire, I will."

It felt odd when he called her that, but in a way it made him feel as if he were finally and adult.

Lightning told Hope of the rest of the group and how they were doing; she told them about Fang and Vanille, about Sazh and Dajh, and Serah and Snow's and her soon to be niece.

The pair had to make a trek out to where the plane would pick them up tomorrow, so Hope suggested they get some rest. He lied out his army issued blanket, and unfolded it, offering Lightning half of it.

She turned a light pink as she lied down next to him, but she was so exhausted she fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

><p>Hope was jolted from his sleep in the middle of the night; there was just a dim light from the fire that was almost gone now. He could see the outline of his former mentor lying beside him. He smiled, he had changed a good bit, but her, she was just as he remembered. A cool wind swept through the clearing and the girl shivered. Her body instinctively moved back into Hope's chest, hoping for warmth. Hope smiled, then lied down to go back to sleep.<p>

* * *

><p>Hope yawned as he opened his eyes, across from him Lightning sat putting her white leather vest back on. She smiled at him. It was as magical as he had remembered.<p>

The pair sat on the plane heading back to the base, and Lightning spoke up.

"Hope."

He looked over, "Yeah, what is it?"

"When we get back, I-uh-You need to call me Lightning. It's what I'm known as, it wouldn't really be appropriate to call me that around others."

He nodded, "Of course, I understand."

* * *

><p>The plane came to a stop and Lightning got out.<p>

"Hold on Hope, I'm going to talk to you're superior, I'll be back."

She strode quickly into the base and straight into Major Strain's office. He looked up, "Ah, it's Captain Farron. Thank you for bringing back Private Esthiem.

She slammed her fist on the desk, "Are you insane? Sending a Private on a GRAN PULSE mission? That's insane. That was at least a Sergeant ranked mission! I cannot believe you, trust me, your superiors will be hearing about this.

* * *

><p>Lightning sat in her living room reflecting on her adventure with Hope two months ago. Serah sat across from her, sipping her tea. The doorbell rang and Serah hopped up, "I'll get it."<p>

She opened the door, and Hope stood at the door. He smiled down at Serah and her face turned red, "Uh, Hope?"

He nodded, "Hi Serah, how are you?"

"Uh-good. Lightning, I think the door's for you."

She walked up to the door and almost choked when she saw Hope standing there.

"H-Hope, come in."

He came in, sitting down on the couch.

"So, what brings you to Bodhum?"

Hope let out a nervous laugh, "Well, apparently I am not doing so well as a solider. And I kinda wanted to ask you if you'd train me, I mean, you're the best solider I've ever met."

Lightning's face turned pink, "Well, thank you... And I supposed I could, what did you have in mind?"

He scratched the back of his head, "Well, I kinda had a trip to Gran Pulse arranged. I figured we could go out there with supplies for, I don't know, three-four weeks? You could train me in real life situations. That's how I learned what I already know."

Lightning sat, "Well... that sounds okay, when do we need to leave?"

"Well, the day after tomorrow if that's good."

She nodded, "Yeah that sounds fine."

He smiled and sighed with relief, "That's awesome. I need to go back to Palumpolum to take care of a few things, but I'll be back on Friday!"

She nodded, "Good."

Lightning stood in her room packing, and Serah squealed with girlish glee.

"Oh my gosh, Hope is hot now..."

Lightning stared at her sister, "Serah, you're married!"

She muttered, "Doesn't mean I can't notice..."

Lightning sighed.

"This is so unfair, you get to go out in to the wild with him for four weeks only you and him. Ooooh, I wonder what will happen!"

Lightning rolled her eyes, "It's Hope, Serah. He's still a kid compared to me, nothing's going to happen."

"I'd never say never, you know how that boy used to adore you back in his youth."

"Please, he was just full of hormones. He's fine now."

Lightning felt confident, but she wondered in the back of her mind if Serah might be right.


	4. Chapter 4

Hope laughed as Lightning lugged her large case of supplies across the plains of Gran Pulse.

"What's with all that stuff Light?"

"You wanna survive these four weeks right?"

He shut up after that.

"So, where are we camping at anyways?"

"The Sulyya Springs, it will provide resources we need well as quick access to the Archylte Steppe."

"You've really thought this through haven't you?"

"If wouldn't be training if you didn't. It'd be running blindly into Gran Pulse to be killed."

* * *

><p>The pair reached their destination a few hours before sunset. Hope lied idly by the springs as Lightning readied the camp. She rolled her eyes at him, he had wanted to train, but so far all he had done was complain and rest. He should've known training with Lightning would be one of the most physically excruciating months of his life.<p>

When Hope awoke as the sun of Pulse was setting, he saw that Lightning had prepared two very large and comfortable tents and lied out all their supplies.

"Where did you get all of this stuff, Light?"

She laughed, "Amodar let me borrow a few things."

"By a few, do you mean the whole base inventory?"

* * *

><p>The pair sat at the campfire when Lightning spoke up, "Hope, you should go get some rest. I don't think you really know what this is going to put you through."<p>

He laughed, "Fine, fine."

* * *

><p>He awoke the next morning to see Lightning in her usual attire, she had taken off her leather vest as the heat of mid-morning was sinking in.<p>

"Usually, I wouldn't tolerate you waking up at noon, but since this is your first day, I'll give you a break."

He laughed, rubbing the back of his head, "I suppose you're right."

* * *

><p>The two walked away from their camp a ways, to a clearing down below their camp. It was beside the water, and Lightning began.<p>

"Hope, do you remember what I said to you back in the Gapra Whitewood?"

He nodded, "Yeah, you told me I was too small to wield your blade."

She nodded, "Yes, and you still are, but by the time this month is over, you will be able to use it like it was your own. But so this has a little bit of importance, we're going to spar, but I'm going to use your sword, while you use my Blazefire Saber."

He nodded, taking her sword. As soon as he grabbed it, the tip fell to the ground, he had under-estimated the weight of it. He looked over at Lightning who easily tossed his sword around with no problem.

She laughed, "Forgot how light the private swords are. It's been quite a while. But moving on, here we go. You make the first move."

Hope ran towards her, swinging the blade with both hands. She ducked, swinging around to his backside and hitting him with the blunt side of the sword. Hope staggered forward, but turned around swinging as hard as he could. Lightning easily jumped over his head kicking the back of his knee that made him crumble to the ground, dropping her sword.

She laughed as she picked her saber up again.

"Oh, Hope, you have so much to learn. Sit up and let me explain something to you."

As he sat up, rubbing his neck, Lightning couldn't help but remember the same boy who had wanted to take Snow's life for his mother's.

"You told me you and your dad used to play chess, right?"

He nodded.

"Fighting is like chess. Consider every possible move from your opponent. I know this seems hard, but trust me, it's easy after practice. The reason you weren't able to hit me with my saber is because one, it's too cumbersome for you to handle yet, and two, you took the most obvious move. It's about strategy; try to catch your opponent off guard."

He nodded, "Yes... that makes sense..."

She flicked his forehead playfully, then offered a hand to pull him up.

He gladly accepted.

* * *

><p>Lightning lied in her tent after their first lesson. She had assigned Hope exercises to do that take him an hour or two, and she needed some rest. It made her think about her first year at the Guardian Corps. It had been hell on Earth.<p>

It wasn't easy going from spoiled daughter of a solider to making your money by selling your labor. When she was recruited, she had no muscle to speak of, and the worst fight she'd been in was a hair pulling argument with her sister.

Over that year, Claire slowly disappeared, and Lightning took her place.

Lightning shook her head, enough with memories.

She stood up, stretching, then peeked outside her tent.

Hope walked out of his tent, wearing his swim trunks. Lightning gaped at him.

"You packed swimming trunks? Are you kidding me?"

He laughed, "Oh come on, it's not like we have to train all the time!"

She buried her face in her hand, sighing.

"Come on, watch, I'm about to jump off our camp into the spring!"

Lightning rolled her eyes; they had camped on a high clearing that was a good thirty feet above the water.

Hope ran towards the edge, jumping and flailing as he fell.

Lightning walked over and watched his body impact with the water.

He screamed in pain, but soon resurfaced.

"So, bad idea, Hope?"

He gritted his teeth, "Bad idea."

* * *

><p>Hope was jolted from his sleep by a nightmare and decided to get a breath of air. He walked out to find Lightning sitting on the edge of camp staring up at the crystallized Cocoon.<p>

Hope approached her, but she already knew he was there.

"What are you doing up?"

He shrugged, sitting down by her, "I dunno. Just woke up. What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking..."

"About what? Cocoon?"

She nodded, "Yeah... I miss it. Even though we were just a pet of the fal'Cie, I miss it."

"Miss Cocoon, or you miss your old life?"

"Both. I miss the simpleness of my life when I was Claire. I didn't have to worry about a thing... and now where am I? I'm twenty-six and dreaming of the life I had at fourteen. It's sad. I'm a grown woman."

Hope sighed, he could relate to Lightning, but in a way, he couldn't. He couldn't understand what she had been through. Both of her parents died, and she had to take care of her little sister.

"So... what happened to your life? You never told me."

She stood up, "You don't need to know that. You need to go back to sleep anyways."

And with that, she was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Two Weeks into Training

Lightning lied in the water, her aching muscles finally resting. The moon was high in the sky and she closed her eyes and relaxed.

Hope yawned, roused from his sleep. He walked out of his tent and saw a figure down in the water. He squinted for he could not see who it was. It was then he saw the mass of pink hair on her head. His face turned red when he realized he was intruding on her bathing time. He had always wondered when she had done it, turns out it was in the middle of the night. He turned to go back into his tent, but continued to stare at her pale muscular back.

His trance was broken when he heard Lightning's communicator go off and she began to turn around. He quickly darted into his tent and pretended to sleep. Within five minutes, he heard fast footsteps and the moving of equipment.

He came out, watching her dart around the camp and pick things up.

"Light, what are you doing?"

She looked up with her damp hair and Hope saw the hurt in her eyes.

"Serah's missing."

* * *

><p>The pair sat on the plane, Lightning was a mess. She paced the floor, burying her face in her hands.<p>

"I'm sure she's fine, Light."

"But what if she's not, Hope? What then? It's like her crystallization all over again."

Hope tried to comfort her, but she just stormed off to another part of the ship to be alone.

* * *

><p>Their plane landed at the Bodhum GC Headquarters, and Lightning left her stuff there. They quickly made their way to the Viller's house where Snow, Sazh, Fang and Vanille also sat, most of which had not seen Hope yet.<p>

When the pair burst in the door, Lightning immediately went over to Snow, "What happened?"

"I was working overtime two nights ago, when I came home the next morning, Serah was gone. I figured she went out to shop. When she hadn't returned by dark, I got worried. I went looking for her. The next night I called you."

Lightning's rage escalated and she landed a punch on Snow's chin, knocking him to the ground. The rest of the group sat and watched for they knew they couldn't stop her.

"You didn't call me for two days? You should've called me the hour she was gone!"

"Look, I'm sorry."

"I doesn't matter, she's gone!"

"Look, here, after I called you I got this letter."

Lightning ripped it from his hand, and it read in neat typed print:

_Dear Friends and Family of Serah Farron Villers:_

_We have taken Serah to Cocoon, if this concerns you, you may come get her. I must tell you this will not be an easy task by any means. But if you want Mrs. Villers and her soon to be daughter, we suggest you come._

Lightning stared at the letter, formulating a plan.

"Okay, here's the plan. Vanille, Hope, you two are with me. Sazh, Snow, and Fang, I want you to stay here and hold down the fort."

Snow became enraged, "She's my wife! I'm not going to sit by and do nothing."

Lightning grabbed his brute like hand, "This is not your concern. I am taking Hope and Vanille because they will be safe with me. And it will be safer if the group is split into halves. So if one is caught, the other is safe."

"But why do we have to stay here?" Fang demanded.

"You three are the strongest, if these people are on Cocoon, there damn sure are here on Pulse. More probably. You can handle them if they come. I'll take the youngest two and keep them safe."

They all nodded, not arguing with Lightning's logic.

* * *

><p>Lightning had sent Vanille and Hope to bed, even though they were now adults, she still considered them the children of the group. Snow and Fang sat in the living room drinking, and Lightning sat on the balcony where Sazh approached her.<p>

"So, how do you think these guys got back into Cocoon, I mean, it's crystal."

Lightning nodded, "Good question. But I have reason to believe that after Vanille and Fang came out of crystal stasis, the inside of Cocoon began to come back. Now there's just a thin layer of crystal they can easily break through. Also, there's a little spec on the scar of Cocoon, that wasn't always there. That's probably the hole they made to get in. I have to hand it to them, it's a good fortress."

Sazh gaped at her, "Wow, soldier, that's... wow, you've got it all figured out."

_Not everything, _she thought.

* * *

><p>The group sat in the hanger as Amodar had lent them his plane, and they said their goodbyes. Snow again insisted he should go, but Lightning quickly shut him down.<p>

"I have given everyone a communicator. If anything happens, you call me first." Lightning continued, "And I have Snow as the leader down here on Pulse, so Snow and I will talk each day and give an update, is that clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good."

With that, they disappeared into the plane. Lightning walked up to the pilot's seat and started the engine. A few years after Cocoon fell, she decided to learn how to pilot a plane if she should ever need to. As she thought, that chance came.

As she started out of the hanger, she swallowed hard, praying Serah was still alive.


	6. Chapter 6

The group had been flying for at least five hours now, and the toll was beginning to show. Everyone let out a cry of joy when they finally entered the outer shell of Cocoon and headed for the Bodhum where Lightning once had lived.

But unexpected by Lightning, Cocoon looked just as they had left it, minus the people of course.

Within thirty minutes, Lighting landed at the hanger in Bodhum. The group stepped out of the plane and began to stretch. Lightning however, was all business.

"Get the equipment; we need to find a safe place to call out headquarters. Bodhum is on the other side from their entrance, so I believe this should be our safest bet."

Hope sighed as he picked up the bulk of the equipment and began to haul it.

* * *

><p>The three walked until they were just outside of Bodhum. Hope and Vanille gaped at the large house that sat before them. Hope set down the supplies and walked to the gate that blocked the driveway. He grabbed onto the rod iron bars and continued to stare. He had never known this house was in existence.<p>

Lightning walked up, fishing something out of her pocket. She pulled out a small rusted iron key and put it in the lock. She took a deep breath and turned it, and it opened with a click. She swung open the gate, and the others just stared.

"What?"

"How did you unlock it?" Hope asked in shock.

"I had the key, smart one."

"No, no, I mean, how do you have the key?"

Lightning sighed, leaning on the gate.

"This is the house I grew up in."

* * *

><p>Lightning led the two up the staggering staircase to the front door, almost losing her nerve. It had been eleven years since she had so much set her eyes on this house, and now she was going in.<p>

She remembered she had left the door unlocked all those years ago, and when she turned the doorknob, thankfully, it opened.

"Hope, Vanille, you two go set up in the den. It's on the other side of the house."

The two nodded, not knowing that this was only a trick to get rid of them.

Lightning climbed the steps, remembering the number of steps: 23.

There was a summer when she was obsessed with measurements and had a kept of a log of everything in her house.

When she reached the top of the staircase, she leaned over the loft balcony to see the front door and foyer underneath. She trekked farther into the house, and came to the doors she had been looking for. Before her sat two long hallways on either side. She turned right, and took slow steps before coming to the thick wooden door. With slight hesitation, she turned the doorknob, and opened the door. What she saw made her smile.

In the room sat a small twin sized bed, the walls were painted pink, drawings and writings scattered the floor, and posters of famous boys hung on the walls. It all reminded her of the Serah she knew when things had been simple.

She walked into the room, sitting down on the bed. It still smelled of Serah. A distinct scent that she still had to this day. She could just look around and remember how Serah would scurry through her room, looking for things she knew she'd never find.

Lightning sat in there for a good ten minutes before leaving and shutting the door behind her. She walked back out of the hallway and continued the opposite way. This time, Lightning did not hesitate; she felt entitled and quickly opened the door.

The walls were painted a simple gray, and a large queen sized bed sat near the window. On the walls were pinned pictures of her family, friends, the people she cared about. The floor was black carpet, and one of her drawers was yanked open, with clothes from the fourteen year old Claire hanging out.

She walked over, tucking the t-shirt neatly back into the drawer and sat down on the bed. She stared up at the ceiling, and she took a trip down memory lane.

On her ceiling, there were pictures pinned of her, and one other person. It made her let out a small laugh. She still remembered him: Lucas Cartel.

He had captivated her young mind in so many ways. He in a sense was her first love but Lightning thought, even at the time, that sounded ridiculous.

* * *

><p>Lightning sat in the den with the others.<p>

"I think we both need to rest for a day, going into battle blindly and tiredly, is a death wish. Tomorrow, we'll just try to make the most of it. Now, there is one rule that you both must obey. On the second story, on the east wing, there is a room with double doors down a long hallway. Neither of you are allowed to enter it, you hear?"

They nodded, but Vanille spoke up, "What's in there Light?"

"It's my parent's room, but that's not the point. Moving on, Vanille, you will be staying in Serah's room, Hope you can sleep in the guest bedroom, and I'll sleep in my old room. Speaking of which, I'm getting tired, I'm going to go to bed."

No one said a word as she made her way up the marble staircase.

* * *

><p>Lightning sat in her room when she heard a knock on the door.<p>

"Who is it?"

Vanille peeked her head in the door, "Just me."

Lightning waved her in.

Vanille sat down on her bed, "Can't sleep, I heard you rustling around and figured you were still awake too."

Lightning nodded and Vanille flopped back on the bed. Lightning had forgotten about the pictures on the ceiling, and Vanille quickly spoke up.

"Who's that Light?"

"Who's who?"

"The boy in these pictures with you."

Lightning tensed, but decided that it would be okay if Vanille knew.

She laid down beside Vanille, "That's Lucas."

"Lucas?"

Lightning nodded, "Yes, I knew him back when I was Claire."

Vanille giggled, "So, who was he?"

"Well, when I was in Junior High, he moved here from Palumpolum. He was the new kid, and soon enough, he became my best friend."

Vanille stared at the picture on the far left which showed a young Lightning and the boy kissing her cheek as she pushed him away.

"Your best friend, eh?"

"Well, later on, he became my first boyfriend."

Vanille giggled again, "I never knew you were such a girl, Light."

She shook her head, laughing, and sat up. "We were just kids, it wasn't anything serious."

"Maybe to you, but I've never heard about him. It's interesting."

Vanille walked over to the small balcony connected to Lightning's room, and opened the doors. She walked out and Light followed.

Vanille turned around, her eye catching a small something on the doorframe outside. She bent down, seeing the date: 2.14.75

"February Fourteenth, Three-thousand and seventy five. What's that?"

"Well, apparently in the Earth days, they celebrated a holiday called Valentine's Day, it was basically a whole holiday just for love. So, being the kids we were, Lucas and I decided we wanted to do something that night, only my parents would hear of it, because it was a school night."

"So what happened?"

"I was asleep and I heard a thump on my window, I looked up to see him standing out in the bitter cold on my balcony. I quickly opened the door and let him in and stuff. We talked for a while, and right as he was leaving, and I was leaning against that doorframe, I got my first kiss. And being the weird girl I was, I etched the date into the doorframe for some odd reason."

Vanille smiled, "That's so sweet, Light! I never knew you had that side to you."

She shook her head, "I don't. But if you were ever wondering who Claire was, that's it."

Vanille wanted to protest and say that she was still Claire, but instead she changed the subject.

"I bet Serah was jealous."

Lightning laughed, "She was for a while, until I explained to her that being twelve isn't all it's cracked up to be. Since I was always two years ahead of her, I did everything first. She never let me forget it. Even though I was fourteen, I swear, we bickered like children. But after my parents died, Serah would always come into my room at night and ask me to tell that story. I don't know why, it was weird."

Vanille played with her fingers, "I think it just reminded her of how you used to be. I mean, from what I've heard, after you became Lightning, you changed."

Lightning sighed, "I wish I could've been the same sister, but it was so hard to be her caretaker, and her sister at the same time."


	7. Chapter 7

Vanille smiled as Hope walked into the kitchen the following morning.

"Say, Vanille, have you seen Lightning?"

She shook her head, making him a plate of food, "Now that you mention it, no. Isn't she in her room?"

Hope shook his head, "No, she's not."

* * *

><p>Lightning stepped out of her plane, sighing. So many memories were flooding her mind at once. She looked around at the crystal ice around her. She was standing right in the spot she was when she first found out she was a l'Cie. Instinctively, she reached out, touching her chest where it used to be. She knew it was gone, but it still haunted her.<p>

She shook her head and grabbed her BlazeEdge heading farther into the unforgiving landscape.

* * *

><p>Hope came tumbling back down the stairs, "Vanille! Her sword's gone! She left without us!"<p>

* * *

><p>Lightning trudged on, when she thought of Vanille and Hope. She hadn't even left them a note. She had woken in the middle of the night, haunted by the images of her sister dead and alone, or alive and being tortured. So she had grabbed her tracing device from when she was a Guardian on Cocoon that could trace any garment from its origination. It had led her here.<p>

She had had second thoughts about bringing Hope and Vanille, it would've been better for them to have been hiding down under the cover of Gran Pulse, but since that was no longer an option, she gave them the best she could.

She walked farther, and saw the wrecked Pulse Vestige lying half embedded in Lake Bresha. That was her destination.

* * *

><p>Hope paced, running his fingers through his hair, "My god, she's going to get herself killed, Vanille! What am I going to do?"<p>

Vanille walked over, resting her hands on his shoulders just as she had did back on the Hanging Edge.

Hope turned around, sighing. Vanille hugged him.

"All we can do now is wait, if I know Lightning well enough, she'll be back."

Lightning quietly snuck behind guards, picking them off silently as she went along. There were more than she had anticipated. The men she took off looked oddly like PSICOM soldiers. She hadn't expected this.

When she reached the inner hallways, they were crawling with guards.

She knew she had two choices.

A) She could use Snow's approach: _Charge in, Guns Blazing_

B) She could sneak down to the lower levels where she knew they were keeping her sister.

She took B.

* * *

><p>Lightning silently descended the small staircase that went into the lowest level of the Vestige, taking out soldiers only when needed.<p>

When she came to the holding cells, she noticed many captives groaning and begging. Some were even too tired to beg. At the far end of the room, she recognized a patch of pink hair that she knew was her sister.

She darted over, pulling out a small laser she used to cut the lock.

"Serah, Serah!" she whispered angrily.

It was no use, she was out cold.

Lightning concluded that she must've been taken during the night for she wore a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

She picked up Serah, and only then did she notice the blood. Most of the blood was dry; however there were patches that were still wet and moist. Lightning immediately knew she only had a little while to live.

Lightning very carefully snuck out of the Vestige, swearing she'd be back once she knew Serah was safe. She lied her down in the plane, and quickly took off back to Bodhum. She didn't know if her sister would live to see her again, but she prayed that her eyes would open once more.


	8. Chapter 8

Vanille stared aimlessly out the window, when she saw Lightning carrying a seemingly lifeless body.

"Hope! Hope! She's back!"

Hope darted out the front door meeting Lightning halfway.

"Is she okay?"

Lightning shook her head, "She's lost a lot of blood. It'll be a miracle if she lives."

Hope stared at Lightning who stared hopelessly at Serah's limp body.

* * *

><p>Lightning set Serah down on her bed as Hope brought in the supplies she asked for.<p>

She turned around as he stood over her shoulder, "I'd prefer if you left."

Hope nodded, leaving the room.

Lightning ran her fingers through her hair. She grabbed up two syringes that contained a compound to mimic blood while the body began to make more. She took Serah's arm, thinking of how she was always afraid of needles, but at this shot, she didn't even flinch. Though, it's not as if she knew what was going on.

Lightning gave her antibiotics as well as medicine to relieve pressure on her veins. It slowed the blood flow and helped the body regenerate.

Lightning sighed, there was only one thing left to do.

She grabbed her communicator and walked out onto the balcony.

"Hello? Lightning, is that you?"

"Good to hear your voice, Snow."

"So, any news?"

"Looks like I found your wife."

She heard Snow breathe a sigh of relief, "That's great."

"I wasn't finished, she's lost a lot of blood. I've done all I can, but for now, I can't say whether she'll make it until morning."

Silence filled the line, "I-I understand. I'll inform the others. Call me if anything else happens."

"I will, I promise."

* * *

><p>Lightning walked downstairs to an eager Vanille and Hope.<p>

"Well, how is she?"

"It's hard to call, Vanille, I'm not a doctor. I've done all I can for the time being, right now, it's a waiting game."

* * *

><p>Lightning sat awake, leaning against Serah's bed, but her eyes were beginning to droop. She hadn't slept in a good 48 hours and it was beginning to show.<p>

Slowly, Lightning fell asleep.

She was startled awake when she felt a brush on her neck. She quickly jumped up, looking down at Serah who was beginning to open her eyes. It took a moment before her identical steel blue eyes filled with recognition.

"Claire? Is that you?"

Lightning smiled as tears welled in her eyes, "Yeah, it is."

"Am... Am I dead?"

Lightning shook her head, holding back her tears, "No, far from it."

A few hours after Serah's waking, she had regained enough strength to move around, but her memory was foggy on what had happened. Lightning put up with it, because at the moment she hadn't cared.

Lightning helped her limping sister, helping her to the bathroom.

"Get in the bathtub, Serah. If you don't get clean soon, those wounds are going to get infected, and with so many, that could kill you."

* * *

><p>She left the room, and when she came back, Serah was attempting to get out of the tub. Lightning quickly ran over to her, holding her up.<p>

"Be careful, Serah. You should've called me to help you."

She led her younger sister out onto the bed, sitting her down. She bent down, pulling a pair of pajamas out of her bag and handed them to Serah.

"No way I'm letting you put your nasty clothes back on."

Lightning laughed as she turned her back to Serah as she got dressed. She turned back around, holding bandages in her hand.

"Lay down, Serah."

She did as she was told, and Lightning knelt down by the bed. She gently pushed the soft t-shirt up above Serah's abdomen, and saw the gouges and wounds that lied there. It made Lightning sick enough to vomit.

She quickly bandaged her sister who was obviously in pain. When she was done, Serah let out small laugh.

"Looks like the tables have turned, huh, Claire?"

Lightning laughed along as she remembered the countless times she had come home in a worse shape than Serah only to be greeted by her younger sister's lecture as she bandaged her.

Lightning pulled the blankets over her sister, "Get some rest, Serah."

* * *

><p>After informing Vanille and Hope of Serah's recovery, she warned them not to disturb her. She walked back upstairs, realizing she had no place to go. Serah was in her bedroom and the only other one in the house was her Mother's and Father's.<p>

The night her parents died, she made a vow to herself never to go in there again, and tonight she was breaking it.

She walked down the long hallway to the east wing of the house were the large master bedroom sat. The large double wooden doors that had always intimidated her as a child stood before her, and she took a deep breath before turning the silver handle.

She breathed in the scent of her parents. It brought tears to her eyes. She walked around the room, taking in every detail; it was just as she had remembered it. A picture on their dresser caught her eye. She walked over to it, picking it up in her hands. She saw her dark haired father standing with her mother, and saw a seven year old Serah who had her arm slung around the taller nine year old Claire who had to bend down to reach her height.

She remembered that day so clearly. Even though the beach looked as if it were the middle of summer, it was below freezing that day, and the whole family was trying to keep it together for one lousy picture, only, at this moment, it wasn't so lousy anymore.

She looked up into the mirror, staring at herself. There were small lines under her eyes from lack of sleep, and her long spiked hair was the same as always. It seemed as if in one day she went from being a child, to an adult, there was never an in-between.

She heard footsteps approaching the door, and quickly put the picture down with her hand on her sword. Hope peeked his head through the door, "Light?" He stood in his pajama pants, obviously roused from his sleep.

He walked in, approaching her, "I thought I heard you in here, I got worried."

She pushed him arms length away, "I'm fine, Hope."

He saw the tears welling in her eyes, knowing she wasn't okay.

He came closer and she backed herself into the wall.

"Tell me what's going on."

"I'll tell you what's going on, Hope. I told you specifically never to enter this room, and look where you are. And who are you to come in here, demanding to know what I'm doing in my own parents room!" She grabbed a glass vase behind her and chunked it at Hope barely missing him and hitting the wall by a few inches.

Hope, enraged, grabbed Lightning's wrists, holding her still. He was still getting used to the fact that he was bigger than her now.

"Stop it! Look at yourself, this isn't the Light I know. What is the matter?"

Lightning stared up at him, and the tears became stronger. Soon, she felt the sting of them running down her cheek. She hadn't felt them in many years.

"Y-You're right, I'm not Lightning. This isn't who she is. This- This is Claire. I locked her away years ago, but staying at this house where so many memories reside, it's hard for her not to come out."

Hope instinctively hugged her, squeezing hard. He couldn't relate to what she was going through, but he doubted that anyone could, not even Serah.

He looked down at her, and she stared up at him as she shook her head.

"I'm-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to throw that vase at you..."

She stared down at her feet, but Hope raised her chin.

"Listen, it's okay, Claire. Really, it is."

She looked up at him with pleading eyes. She closed them as she felt him come closer. Hope leaned down farther and felt her lips meet his.

Hope knew it was wrong for him to do such, for the Maker's sake, she was seven years older than him. She knew the same, but she felt hopeless and weakness against him.

Hope broke the kiss, staring down at her. He quickly let her go, rushing out of the room.

* * *

><p>Lightning lied in her parents bed, wishing that somehow, magically, they'd appear on either side of her, and tell her how proud of her they were. She wished they had never died. Then she would've gone on to Eden University and Serah would've had a better life.<p>

She heard the door creak open, and she saw Serah leaning heavily on it.

"Serah!"

She quickly got out of bed, helping her over to it.

"I-I heard screaming and glass breaking, I came to see if you were okay. What happened?"

Serah climbed under the blankets and Lightning did the same.

"It's not important..."

"So, what are you doing in mom and dad's room?"

Lightning shook her head, "I-I don't know. I just feel lost..."

Serah scooted over, resting her head on Lightning's chest.

"I think we've both been lost since they died. You can't blame yourself for what happened. It wasn't your fault. You would've just died along with them..."

Serah saw the moonlight reflect off of the tears rolling down Lightning's cheeks.

"Come here, Claire. It'll be okay, it'll all be okay."

Serah felt as if this is what her sister had had to do when her parents died. She had cried every night, and every night without fail, Lightning came to her side. Serah knew that Lightning had never given herself time to grieve and realize she was an orphan herself, and now, it was all coming out. The small fifteen year old Claire was trapped inside the body of twenty-six year old Lightning Farron.

Serah hugged her sister, telling her everything would be alright, even if she didn't believe it herself.


	9. Chapter 9

"So... you're saying that she can't remember? How?"

Vanille and Lightning sat in the kitchen she grew up in, talking.

"It's a syndrome triggered by emotionally traumatic events. The memory begins to consume the mind, so the brain tells itself not to remember it. It's common in soldiers; I've met a lot of men with it."

"So, what's going to happen to her?"

"Well we have two choices, we can let her memory take it's natural coarse, and when she realizes she's not gaining any weight, she'll trigger the memory, or I can tell her."

"I can tell you've already made a choice."

Lightning nodded, "Yeah, I'm going to tell her tonight."

Vanille feared the way Lightning's hands trembled as they sat on the table.

* * *

><p>Serah was slowly getting better, and seemed happier. She was able now to get around on crutches, to a point.<p>

She came down the stairs, running into Hope.

"Morning, Serah. How do you feel?"

She nodded, "I'm getting better. My wounds are still pretty bad, but I feel okay."

"That's great, hey, have you seen Light?"

She shook her head, "No, but if I had to guess, you should check the training grounds are father built out in the woods."

Hope narrowed his eyes, "Training grounds?"

"Yes, our father was a solider, PSICOM actually. Before they went crazy and all. He built it so he could stay at home and train."

"I figured he had some well paying job in the city or something."

She giggled, "Far from it."

* * *

><p>Hope carried his sword at his side, walking out into the woods. There was an overgrown trail and he followed it. Ten minutes into his walk he came to a clearing where a well-built training ground stood. He saw his former mentor training by hitting a dummy.<p>

He noticed that she was barefoot and wasn't wearing her normal Guardian Corp uniform. Instead she wore a black top that looked much like what Fang wore under her sari, and a pair of light gray sweatpants. She had her hair pulled up in a ponytail and her bands fell down over her face.

She stopped in her tracks looking over at Hope who was standing over at the entrance.

"How'd you get here?"

"S-Serah told me."

She put her hand over her face, "Damn, that girl does not know how to keep a secret. Whatever, come in then."

He walked over, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.

"So why'd you come here anyways?"

"I dunno, there wasn't anything to do."

She laughed, "Then let me give you something."

She walked over to the side of the grounds where a holder for long wooden poles sat. She grabbed two, easily lifting the poles that were a foot taller than Hope.

She quickly threw one at Hope who fumbled then dropped it.

"You need quicker reflexes. You're a lot slower from when you were fourteen."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

She laughed, "Nothing, nothing."

"Now, this exercise is to increase your strategy without worrying about handling a blade."

The two stood five feet away, Lightning stood with her feet together, and the pole by her side.

"Okay, Hope, give it your best shot."

He ran at her, swinging the pole as he came near. Lightning jumped her bare foot touching his shoulder as she jumped over him to his backside.

He quickly spun around bringing his pole down hard to the ground. Lightning did a cartwheel using her pole for balance and evaded Hope. He ran swinging again and she used the pole to swing around to his opposite side then swung her pole sweeping his feet from under him.

Hope lied on the ground, staring up at her. She reached out a hand, and then helped him up.

He shook the dirt out of his hair as he stood up.

"Man, Light."

"Here's your problem Hope, you run blindly into a fight going for the most obvious approach. Try to change it up a bit. Now again. You're only going to get better through practice. I get first hit."

The two foot smaller Lightning ran at him, backflipping over his head. As she came down, Hope spun around, hitting her before she hit the ground. She landed crouched and rolled out of the way before his vertical strike came down on her.

She stood up and Hope ran at her. He hit her pole, and the sudden force knocked it out of her hands. As it fell to the ground and Lightning was distracted, Hope used her signature more and swept her feet out from under her.

She sat on the ground, staring up at him smiling.

"Very good. But I went easy on you."

"Are you saying you let me win?"

She stood up, "More or less."

"Damn."

She patted him on the back, "Don't sweat it, I've been fighting since I was fifteen, it takes practice."

* * *

><p>After an hour of practice, the pair sat on the ground across from each other. The sun was almost finished setting and a small fire sat between them.<p>

"So, tell me about your parents, Light. Since you know everything about mine."

"Like what?"

"Well for starters, who were they?"

"Aryll and Nikolas Farron."

"Aryll and Niko, huh?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"So... how'd they meet?"

She laughed, "My mother was an heiress to my grandfather's fortune. He had heard rumors that bandits were out to kill their family and collect the profit. So, he hired a guard to protect his only daughter."

"And the guard was Nikolas, right?"

She nodded, "Yeah, long story short, my mother fell in love with her bodyguard but couldn't bring herself to tell my grandfather."

"So, what happened?"

"Well, when Dad asked to marry her, she got up the courage to tell him, and he was infuriated, told my mom that she was not allowed to marry him. She was only twenty two at the time, and in the middle of the night, they ran away from Nautilus to Bodhum. They got married and lived in a small apartment. Three years into their marriage, they found out my mother was pregnant with a girl."

"It was you, wasn't it?"

She smiled and nodded, "Yep. It was me. Just before I was born, my mother received news that her father who she hadn't spoke to since her marriage was deathly sick. She then went back to visit him, and I was born on their visit. My grandfather held me an hour before he died. When he did die, my mother inherited his fortune, and they moved into the house were staying at now."

"Ooooh, so that's how they had such a big house. You were a rich girl."

She nodded, "After that, when I was three, they told me I was going to have a little sister. I was worried about if I would be a good sister, and my mother had to reassure me that I would do fine. So, Serah was born, and the rest is history."

"What about when they died...?"

She stared at him, her face went pale. She quickly stood up, "I think it's time we start heading back."

"No, what happened?"

"It's late, Hope."

"Claire, what's wrong? Why won't you tell me?"

"It's nothing, I'm fine."

She stood facing away from him as he came over, placing a hand on her bare shoulder, "...are you okay?"

She shook her head, staring down at her feet.

Hope saw the tears from her eyes fall down to the ground. He quickly spun her around, and she looked up at him.

She reached up, pulling him down, and kissed him.

Hope was taken by surprise, but quickly gave in.

She leaned back, and Hope felt her legs go weak, and sat down, holding her in his lap. He had remembered her being so large and intimidating all those years ago.

Now as he looked at her in his lap, she seemed but a small lost girl who fought to keep the memories away.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again.

Thoughts raced in his mind of what it might mean.

Did she actually like him? Or was she too lost to notice what she was doing?

He pushed her back, "Claire...?"

She started to get up, shaking her head. "No, no, this is wrong. I'm too old for you."

He grabbed her wrist, "Sit down, and tell me what's going on."

She obeyed and sat back down beside him.

"Hope... when I first saw you in that spring at Gran Pulse... something, something changed inside me... Back when we were fighting for Cocoon, I knew you had feelings for me. But you were a hormonal kid, and I was an adult. I knew the difference. I felt protective of you, almost like a mother... but now, I don't know. There's this urge in me of something more. I know it's not right, and I shouldn't have done what I did."

Hope looked at her, "It's okay, Claire... to be honest, I've loved you since we were alone in the Gapra Whitewood, and I was hoping that maybe now since I was older, maybe something could happen..."

"But it's wrong... "

He crawled over to where she sat, kissing her, "Doesn't mean we have to tell anyone..."

* * *

><p>Hope slowly opened his eyes, seeing Lightning curled by beside him. She had fallen asleep after their tough training, even on the cold ground. She rolled over, opening her eyes and smiling.<p>

Hope looked down to her torso, where a bellybutton ring sat.

"How long have you had that?"

She laughed, "Since I was fifteen."

"Why'd you get it?"

She looked up at the sky, "I wanted to be such a rebel before my parents died, and they always forbade me from getting a bellybutton ring. They would literally check every week to see if I had one. After they died, I decided I'd get one. It hurt so much, I told myself to never let it grow over. So I've had it ever since. I thought it'd make me an adult, but I was just a kid. A kid so lost, that she never found her way back."

Hope stared at her. He was seeing a side of Lightning that was at her very core. He used to believe that she was a cold solider who cared nothing about anything, but it was obvious now that she was just an orphan who lost her way through years and years of pain, and all she wanted was someone to tell her that it'd all be okay.

One way or another.


	10. Chapter 10

Hope knocked on Lightning's parent's room softly before opening the door. Lightning sat up slowly, yawning. "Good morning," she smiled.

He walked in, handing her a mug of coffee that she took happily. "I have a question, if you don't mind, Light." She shook her head, "No, it's fine."

"Well, what's the plan exactly?"

She shrugged, "As I see it right now, they've probably figured out Serah's missing and they're combing the 50 mile radius of the Vestige. It's standard procedure with any group. I want to make sure Serah is in the best shape she can be, before we move out. If she gets put in a situation where she needs to get away, I want to make sure she can. We'll be leaving soon, maybe in the next couple days."

Hope smiled.

"What is it?"

"Did anyone ever tell you, how great of a big sister you are?"

* * *

><p>Serah looked up when the door opened, then smiled after seeing Hope.<p>

"Hey there, do you need something?"

He shook his head, "In all honesty, I really just wanted to look around Li-well, Claire's old room."

She nodded, "I'm sure you'll find it interesting."

Hope looked around, before coming to her dresser. The middle drawer was partially open, and he took a peek. Serah, not being able to contain her curiosity, came up behind him as he pulled out a school uniform.

Serah smiled with glee, "Oh my god, its Claire's school uniform from high school!"

Hope laughed, "Wow. You mean she actually wore this?"

Serah nodded, laughing. Hope let it fall back into the drawer before opening up one of the top drawers. He felt his face go red and turned away from Serah, it seemed he had stumbled into her underwear drawer. He heard Serah laughing and he turned back to look at her.

"Oh my god, can you believe my sister actually wore thongs! I didn't even know this! Oh man, priceless."

Serah's comments were doing nothing to help the redness that qas quickly conquering Hope's cheeks. He sat silent on his knees beside Serah for a few minutes as she raided her sister's old underwear drawer. When Serah held up one of Lightning's old bras, Hope looked at her in confusion.

"What, Hope?"

"Uh was that Lightning's?"

She nodded, "Yep, from when she was fifteen."

"Isn't a bit… on the 'small' side?"

Serah laughed, "Claire didn't look anything like she does now. Well, she was always stunningly beautiful, but she didn't really 'mature' until well after she was seventeen. I've always taken the back seat to her in looks."

Hope laughed, just as the door opened. Lightning stood in a pair of shorts and a black tanktop staring at them for a good moment. Serah quickly got up, scooting past Lightning mentioning something about Vanille.

Now Hope was left in the fragile situation of him on his knees holding a pair of her old underwear, looking like a pervert with no explanation.

"This uh," he quickly dropped the underwear, "This is not what it looks like." He stood up as she approached.

"It isn't, huh? You're kidding right? You're sitting there looking through my underwear? Are you out of your damn mind?"

"Well, uh, it's not like it's your underwear now… heh…"

Lightning scoffed, "It's not like it looks any different now! You pervert."

Hope's face turned red, but he was snapped out of it when a slap landed on his cheek. He held it in his hand, as Lightning smirked.

"If you had been Snow, or any other man for that matter, it would've hurt a lot more, so be glad you're not." She laughed, kicking the drawer shut.

Hope looked at Lightning, "What time is it?"

Lightning glanced at the clock behind him, "About 9am, why?"

"Because I think I thought of a way you can pay me back."

"When did I say I needed to?"

"You said it telepathically. And trust me, it's nothing bad."

Lightning rolled her eyes and reluctantly agreed.

* * *

><p>"You are shitting yourself, Hope. There's no way in HELL I am doing that!"<p>

"You agreed to it though!"His face turned sad and his green eyes pouted.

Lightning paused for a moment, cursing herself for a moment before striding into the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Lightning emerged a few minutes later in a short gray, plaid skirt, a dress shirt, a long v-neck black sweater, otherwise known as her school uniform.<p>

Hope grinned from ear to ear, and Lightning tossed a nearby shoe at him.

"This is humiliating."

"You look so cute Lightning!"

She scoffed, "I will shove my boot so far up your as-"

Hope shook his finger, "No, no, you have to be nice. And put on your stockings. That completes the whole outfit."

Lightning sighed as she pulled up the gray stockings that came almost to the hem of her skirt, "There, master, anything else?"

He stood up, inspecting her, "Just one more thing…" He grabbed a hairband from the table, handing it to her, "Pull up your hair. Serah told me you used to wear it like that."

Lightning gave him a death glare before quickly pulling up her hair with her bangs still hanging in her face.

"You look like a classic school girl."

"And you look like a creepy goof. Seriously, wipe that grin off your face."

"Lightning! Hope! Come down for breakfast!"

Lightning marched ahead after her sister's call, and Hope followed closely behind. He reached out to grab the railing of the stairs and grazed Lightning's bottom. She quickly grabbed his hand, bending it back.

"Maybe you've forgotten, I can kill a man with my bare hands. I don't even need your damn boomerang. Touch me again, and I will end you." She whispered angrily.

"It was an accident."

"Sure."

* * *

><p>As Lightning charged into the kitchen, quickly sitting down, Serah gaped at her then quickly her eyes darted to hope.<p>

"How?" she mouthed at him.

"It was easy" he mouthed back.

Vanille was the first to say something, "Lightning, you look adorable."

"Tch."

Serah sat down beside her, "Seriously, you look just like you did in high school!"

Lightning sat in silence as her face turned the lightest shade of pink. Hope made a point to sit close to her.

* * *

><p>Hope stumbled through the woods before finding Lightning looking out over a small pond on a dock. The moon was high in the sky and reflected in the water. Her hair was still pulled up and she still wore her uniform. She had made sure she kept it on to make it up to Hope.<p>

He walked over, "This seat taken?"

He saw a slight shake of her head before he sat down. She remained silent, so he spoke first.

"You know, I wasn't joking when I said you were cute this morning."

She scoffed, and he gently put his hand on top of hers. As of the moment, he wasn't sure what they're status was. He wasn't sure if they were together, or if that had just been a one night of weakness for her. Either way, it was worth it, but she didn't seem to protest to his hand either.

"Really, Lightning, you are… You're the most amazing woman I've ever met. And it takes a lot for a fourteen year old to realize that. You're smart, tough, defensive, and when you want to, you're funny, sweet, and one of the most caring people I know. Look, I know this isn't the way you wanted your life-"

She cut him off with a very low, tiny voice, "Th-Thank you."

He smiled, "You're welcome."

She scooted over and leaned into him. He could tell she was upset, but she wasn't one who liked to talk. So he tried to comfort her without words.


	11. Chapter 11

As the group stood in Lake Bresha, Serah was horrified by how angry her sister was.

"Those damn cowardly bastards!"

She threw her sword at the crystalized water of the lake. She screamed at the sky as well to the empty vestige where the men who had taken her sister were now suddenly gone. She wasn't only yelling about them, she was yelling for how fed up she was with herself. She couldn't tell Hope how she really felt, she couldn't even tell Serah she wasn't pregnant anymore. It was all too hard. Looking at her now, it was even harder. Her side ponytail was gone and she looked even more like a woman. She had always seen Serah as a child, but now she was suddenly an adult.

Serah walked towards her sister, in attempts to calm her down, "Lightning, Lightning, calm down!"

"Don't you tell me what to do!"

Serah screamed back, "You have to control yourself, including your emotions!"

"What do you think I've been doing for the past eight years?"

"Don't make this about our past! You act like everything about our childhood was horrible! Is that what you're going to tell your niece about her grandparents!"

Suddenly Lightning erupted, "You're not even pregnant for Etro's sake!"

Serah's expression dropped, "W-what?"

"You lost her. You didn't think you could come that close to your death and think she's fine."

Lightning grabbed her sword hustling back towards the plane. Hope quickly ran after her while Vanille walked over to Serah and wrapped her in her arms as she cried.

* * *

><p>Hope caught up to Lightning as she was climbing into the plane. As she was getting in he yelled at her, apparently angry.<p>

"What the hell is your problem Lightning? Is that how you're going to treat your sister! She didn't do anything to you, and you know it!"

She strode back down the stairs, "Don't you tell me what to do!"

"I'm only telling you because you're out of line!"

She pushed him, "You're out of line!"

He grabbed her wrists, "Look at what you've done, your sister is in tears! You know she's a fragile girl and you just thought it was a good idea to throw that in her face?"

He saw her expression fade to blankness, and his hold on her wrists softened. She buried her face in his chest, grabbing at his shirt.

"Of course it wasn't… I'm a horrible sister… I-I just… I was so excited about a new Farron and so devastated when I realized I only saved two of the three Farrons."

"It wasn't your fault Lightning. You can't take the blame for everything."

She looked up at him, "T….Thank you."

She heard footsteps and quickly ran to Serah and Vanille. Vanille let her go, and Lightning quickly pulled Serah to her chest.

"I am so sorry, Serah. Please, please forgive me. I-that was stupid and I'm so incredibly sorry."

Serah looked up, giving her a weak smile, "Lightning, you don't have to be sorry-"

"But I do, that was no way to tell you that!"

"Don't blame yourself for so much, alright? I love you, Claire. Not even this can change that."

Serah stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Lightning's neck, "I love you."

* * *

><p>They sat on the plane together, Serah fell asleep while lying in Hope's lap. Vanille sat quietly across from them, hemming one of Serah's shirts. Lightning was piloting the plane when he communicator buzzed. She had forgotten to to mention to Snow that they weren't on Cocoon.<p>

She quickly whipped it out, putting it to her ear, "Hello."

"'ello Sunshine." Fang. And her ridiculous nickname.

"What is it?"

"Well, seems your buddies are here on Pulse, and they maybe, kind of, sort of…"

"Sort of what Fang?"

"Captured us. I mean, we're fine. Snow's fine. They're actually treating us quite well other than the handcuffs. But hey, they just wanted to let you know that you're welcome to come get us. Though, they'll probably kill you. So…. There's that. Good convo, right? Well, er, I gotta go."

"Fang-" but the line went dead.

"Damn it," she muttered as she put the plane on autopilot.

She walked back to where everyone was sitting, leaning on the doorway.

"Seems whoever captured Serah, now has Snow and Fang as they're new bait. Apparently, they moved they're operations to Pulse," she spoke in a low voice as not to wake Serah.

"So, we're still going after them… right?"

Lightning smirked, "Of course. And when I find they're leader, I will stick my foot so far up his as-Nevermind. You kiddies don't want to know. We should be landing in the Archtylle Steppe soon."

"Why the Steppe?" Vanille asked innocently.

"They know we're coming. They know me too well; they know I won't turn down a challenge. So of course, they're expecting us to land in the settlements around Cocoon, but we're not landing there because, well, I don't want to get caught immediately. And as for when we get there, I want Serah staying out of trouble, alright? Vanille, I know this is a lot to ask, but could you keep an eye on Serah why were out there? I can't leave her alone, but I don't want to get her in trouble. And as we all know, Serah gets herself into trouble."

Vanille smiled, "Of course I can."

The group trudged on weakly, but at least Lightning knew where she was going, or at least it seemed like it. Vanille yawned as Serah and herself sat alone at the camp, again. Lightning and Hope had gone to get firewood quite some time ago and she supposed they hadn't found their way back yet.

"I'm getting a bit worried, Serah."

Serah looked up, taking a sip of her tea, "Lightning's smart, they'll be fine."

"I hope so…"

* * *

><p><em>One Week Ago<em>

_Hope giggled as Lightning impersonated Snow. She trudged around with her chest poked out, yelling that she "WAS A HERO!" Hope's laughing fit got worse as she swayed and almost fell._

_"You're drunk, Lightning" He laughed._

_She swayed, moving from foot to foot so she wouldn't fall, "I am not!"_

_"I think you are."_

_She laughed, "Okay, yes, yes I am. Well not as drunk as I could be. But if I'm drunk, you are too."_

_He raised his hands, "I never denied it!"_

_He had to admit that their frequent drinks together on some nights had become an endearing tradition that he looked forward too. Who knew a couple of drinks was all it took to make Lightning loosen up?_

_She plopped down on the ground, leaning against a rock. Hope crawled over, and leaned next to her. Lightning looked over at him, smiling drunkenly. He was taken aback when she suddenly grabbed him, kissing him deeply. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't protest. He pushed her off when she suddenly pulled his shirt off._

_"Lightning, what the hell are you doing?"_

_She giggled and hiccupped, very apparently drunk, "I don't know… Losing my virginity I s'pose."_

_It took a minute for it to sink in but Hope's eyes widened, "You're a…. virgin?" his voice got quiet as if he were cursing in front of his mother._

_She nodded, "Why are you so surprised?"_

_"It's just…" His face turned red, "You're a very…. beautiful woman. I mean… I just assumed…"_

_She laughed, "Assuming makes an ass out of you," and pushed him back down._

* * *

><p>Present<p>

Vanille twiddled her thumbs nervously, "Serah, I'm going to go check on them."

"They're fine."

"They've been gone for almost two hours! And I remember one time I got lost, and I think I might've died if Fang hadn't gone looking for me!"

Serah shrugged, "Alright, alright. Do what you want, but I'm sure there fine."

Vanille began to trudge off before looking back at Serah, "Lightning told me to look after you…. Make sure you didn't get into trouble."

"Typical Lightning, look, I'll be fine for right now. Lightning set up the traps, nothing's going to get into our camp. Go ahead."

Vanille reluctantly agreed and quickly left.

* * *

><p>Serah was startled when Vanille came running back into camp, no more than fifteen minutes later. Her face was red and she looked flustered.<p>

"What is it, Vanille? Are they in trouble? What?" Serah panicked.

"I-Uh, just come with me, alright?"

* * *

><p>Serah nodded cautiously before following behind Vanille.<p>

"I don't know why you can't just tell me, Vanille. You're really freaking me out-"

"Shhhh," Vanille put a finger over her mouth.

She crouched behind a rock and Serah spoke in a whisper, "What is it?"

"Just look over the rock."

Serah narrowed her eyebrows but quickly looked over it. What she saw made her blink twice and make a double take. Lightning and Hope lied on the ground with fervent kissing, not to mention both we bareback naked.

She quickly ducked back down with a red face, "Oh my god..."

"I know… Now you see why I couldn't just tell you! I was too embarrassed."

Serah giggled, "It'll be good for her, maybe loosen her up a bit. So she won't be such a tightass all the time. Let's just let them have their time."

Just as they began to walk away, Serah stepped onto one of Lightning' s trap that emitted a loud, shrill beeping noise. Serah quickly stepped on it, crushing it into the ground, the beeping stopped. But it was too late; they turned around to see Lightning looking around, as well as Hope from where he lied under her.

"Did you hear that Hope?"

"It sounded like one of your alarms."

Serah quickly emerged, but she wasn't noticed until she spoke, "Uh. That was just me. Sorry. Just uh, go back to whatever you were doing. It was an accident. Didn't mean to interrupt."

Serah saw her Lightning's face turn beet red, as well as Hope's. She grabbed her clothes from the ground, holding them over herself before hiding behind a rock.

"Oh my god, Serah! Just go! For the love of Etro, please just go!"

* * *

><p>Vanille and Serah sat in the camp in silence as the two returned, fully clothed, and fully humiliated.<p>

Serah was the first to speak up, "So…. Hi you guys, again."

Lightning's face was still pink, "Let's just… not talk about it, alright?"

"Agreed." Hope and Vanille said in unison.

Serah snickered before taking another sip of her tea.

* * *

><p>Serah was awoken during the night, and decided to see if her sister was awake; she usually was. But to her disappointment, Lightning had gone on a walk and was nowhere to be found. Serah grabbed one of Hope's knives before walking out to the cliff where she knew her sister liked to sit.<p>

Sure enough, Lightning was there, sitting with her knees pulled to her chest.

"Claire?"

The older Farron turned around, still mortified, "What do you want, Serah?"

"Just wanted to talk, maybe like we used to, before Mom and Dad died."

"We're not kids."

"…But we're still sisters." The older Farron felt the sting of the comment as her sister sat down.

"Touche. But if you're here to talk about me and Hope, I'd rather not."

"Why?"

"Because it's complicated."

"No, I mean, why have you kept it a secret for so long? I thought I saw something between you two ever since he went out looking for you at Dad's training grounds."

"I just… It's complicated."

"Well, we have all the time in the world."

"It's not that easy."

"Please…. Please, Claire, just talk to me for once."

"Fine… I mean…. Yes, I have always loved Hope. But back when we were saving Cocoon, I felt like his mother, or his older sister… and then when I found him in Gran Pulse that day…. I don't know, something changed. I saw him more of a man than I did a kid…"

"and you fell in love with him?"

"More or less."

"I don't see the problem. He's always loved you. And you obviously love him." She giggled at her last comment.

Lightning rolled her eyes, "Because Serah, he's too young for me."

Serah sighed, "Claire… Listen to me, because I think we've gotten to one subject where I know more than you. When you look at a couple, you see the age difference and things of the sort. Just like you did with Snow and I. What you've got to realize is that love isn't about age difference, it's about… well, love."

Lightning smiled.

"And if anyone's got anything to say, well, screw them!"

Claire laughed; they had a similarity after all. Serah lied down, as did Lightning.

"Thank you, Serah."

The younger girl rested her head on her sister's shoulder, "You're welcome. And by the way, you filled out your old school uniform much better than you used to."

The older girl felt her face go red, "Just, just go to sleep Serah."

As the younger Farron shut her eyes, she snickered, "You know you did."

"Just go to sleep."


End file.
